Oregon Football Spring Preview: Returning Production and Promising Youth Headline Wide Receivers

Is this the best group of receivers we've ever seen at Oregon? There's a case to be made, at least heading into spring practice.

Today we're continuing our position-by-position preview ahead of Oregon spring football practice kicking off next week. We've already taken a look at quarterbacks and running backs, so give those a read if you haven't already.

Next up is wide receiver, a position that's improved significantly in recent years. The more recent ascent started when Bryan McClendon, who's now the wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, inked three All-Americans in the 2021 class, headlined by 2024 NFL Draft prospect Troy Franklin.

The caliber of talent at the position has only increased thanks to Junior Adams, who's recruited elite players from both the high school and transfer portal ranks. 

Let's take a look at the names to know in Eugene.

Transfer Portal Addition: Evan Stewart

© Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

2023 stats: 38 receptions, 514 receiving yards, 4 TD

Stewart was the top-ranked wide receiver in the transfer portal, and the Ducks add him to the roster with the hope that he'll be a favorite target for new quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The former five-star recruit had over 1,100 total receiving yards and 6 total touchdowns during his time in College Station and is a technician of a route runner. 

He's got great hands and is a special player after the catch. He also possesses great top-end speed, which you can never have too much of. For a coaching staff that may have been looking to bring in a new No. 1 option to replace Troy Franklin, there weren't many options better than Stewart. 

Tez Johnson

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2023 stats: 86 receptions, 1,182 receiving yards, 10 receiving TD | 20 punt returns, 190 punt return yards

Johnson made an instant impact in 2023 as an under the radar transfer from Troy. His chemistry with Bo Nix likely played a role in their success as a duo, so it'll be fun to see how he gels with a new signal caller running the offense.

Despite his smaller stature at 5'10", 160 pounds (per 2023 roster), he was a critical piece of Will Stein's offense, taking the top off of defenses and ripping off big gains on short passes. He's an electric playmaker that's going to be a focus for defensive coordinators in 2024.

Traeshon Holden

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2023 stats: 37 receptions 452 receiving yards, 6 receiving TD

Holden finished third on the team in receiving yards last season and is an underrated piece of this offense. With the seasons that Franklin and Johnson had, there just weren't that many targets to go around.

That said, Holden was very effective with the targets he did get, turning in an encouraging performance in the Fiesta Bowl. Holden should be in line for a bigger role in 2024 as one of the taller wide receivers on the roster (6'3", 215 pounds). Experience is important at every position, and he's a key part of Oregon's veteran leadership at wide receiver.

Gary Bryant Jr.

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

2023 stats: 30 receptions, 442 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns | 14 kick returns, 259 kick return yards 

Bryant was a player I was anticipating to have a bigger season last year, but like Holden he didn't receive a ton of volume. He was a key part of the return game for the Ducks, but was mostly bottled up.

That said, I like his upside as a gadget type of player at 5'11", 185 pounds and think he can be more effective if Will Stein creates more opportunities to get him the ball in space. He's played a lot of football in his career and raises the floor of this room. 

Jurrion Dickey

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2023 stats (5 games): 1 reception, 7 receiving yards 

Dickey was the lone 5-star recruit Oregon signed in the 2023 cycle and many fans were hoping for him to have a much larger role as a true freshman. We haven't seen him at his best, as recovery from a season-ending injury he suffered his senior year of high school slowed both his growth and opportunities in year one.

If we're going off of last year's numbers, Franklin's departure should theoretically free up 81 targets to be distributed throughout the rest of the room and I think Dickey will be near the top of the pecking order. As a recruit he was one of the more physical receivers I've covered. He's listed at 6'2", 215 pounds and should hit the ground running with all he's got in spring.

Best of the Rest

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There are a lot of other receivers on the roster we could talk about here. Kyler Kasper the 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore is intriguing. I think he's more than a jump-ball wide receiver, but we haven't seen much of him since his early arrival in 2022. It feels like a make or break year for him in Eugene, so maybe he's got some extra fire fueling him in the spring. 

Justius Lowe is another receiver that hasn't played much, but he's shown previous flashes of his potential in spring practice and fall camp. 

The Ducks also added a pair of blue-chip All-Americans in Jeremiah McClellan and Ryan Pellum that fans hope to see early in their careers. But don't forget about speedster Dillon Gresham. He's a player I've seen in person a few times as a recruit and I think he could end up seeing the field sooner than the average fan expects.

We'll continue rolling out our position previews between now and the start of spring practice, so make sure to continue reading Ducks Digest.

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